XML Sitemap Errors and How to Fix Them
You open Google Search Console one morning, check your sitemap, and there it is: a red error or a scary warning. Your stomach drops. Is your website broken? Are your pages gone from Google?
Take a breath. Most sitemap errors look worse than they are, and almost all of them have a simple fix.
This guide walks you through every common XML sitemap error in plain, simple language. No heavy tech talk. By the end, you'll know how to find each error, understand why it happened, and fix it step by step — whether you're on WordPress, Shopify, Wix, or a custom site.
Let's turn that red error into a green "Success."
The Basics
Why Sitemap Errors Matter
Your sitemap is the list of pages you hand to Google. When it has errors, you're basically handing Google a list with wrong or missing addresses.
Here's what that causes:
If it can't read your sitemap, it may not find your new pages quickly.
Some errors tell Google two opposite things at once, which wastes its time.
Pages Google can't discover can't rank — and pages that don't rank don't bring visitors.
An error is just Google telling you something needs attention. Fix it, and everything flows smoothly again.
Sitemap errors block Google from finding your pages properly. Fixing them keeps your discovery fast and clean.
Sitemap Error vs Indexing Issue Know the Difference
This confuses a lot of people, so let's make it crystal clear before diving into fixes.
A sitemap error means something is wrong with the file itself or a URL you listed in it. Google is telling you: "I couldn't read this list properly."
An indexing issue means Google read your sitemap fine, but decided not to add a certain page to search results. That's a different conversation — often about page quality or duplicate content.
Google can't properly read the list.
Something is wrong with the sitemap file or one of the URLs listed inside it.
Google read the list but skipped a page.
Google can access the sitemap, but decides a particular page shouldn't be added to search results.
A sitemap error is like giving a delivery driver a torn address list. An indexing issue is like the driver reaching the house but deciding the package isn't worth delivering.
Two different problems. Two different fixes.Finding Your Errors
How to Find Sitemap Errors in Google Search Console
Before you can fix an error, you need to see it clearly. Google Search Console is the free tool that shows you exactly what's wrong.
Opening the Sitemaps Report
Log in to Google Search Console and pick your website. In the left-hand menu, click Sitemaps. This page lists every sitemap you've submitted, along with its current status.
Reading the Status Column
Next to each sitemap, you'll see a Status:
Google read your sitemap fine. Relax.
Something serious is blocking the whole sitemap.
Google couldn't even open the file.
Click on any sitemap to see more details about what went wrong.
Where Indexing Issues Show Up Separately
Not every problem lives in the Sitemaps report. Many page-level issues show up under the Pages (or Indexing) report instead. This is where Google tells you which pages it chose not to index and why. Keep both reports in mind as you troubleshoot.
The Sitemaps report shows file-level errors. The Pages report shows page-level indexing issues. You'll use both.
Whole-Sitemap Errors
These errors affect your entire sitemap file. Fix these first — because until the file works, Google can't read anything inside it.
Couldn't Fetch
Google tried to open your sitemap but failed completely.
Usually the URL you typed is wrong, or your robots.txt file is blocking the sitemap.
- Open your sitemap URL in a browser. If it doesn't load, the address is wrong.
- Check your robots.txt (at yoursite.com/robots.txt) and make sure nothing is blocking the sitemap.
- Once it loads fine, go back to Search Console and resubmit.
Sitemap Could Not Be Read
Google opened the file but couldn't understand it.
The file has a formatting mistake, a broken XML tag, or the wrong namespace — the code line at the top that tells Google what kind of file this is.
If a plugin or builder made your sitemap, regenerate it. If it's a custom file, ask your developer to check the XML formatting and the opening namespace line for typos.
Sitemap Is HTML (Wrong Format)
You submitted a normal webpage instead of a proper XML file.
People sometimes submit their HTML sitemap (the one built for visitors) by mistake.
Find your real XML sitemap — usually at /sitemap.xml or /sitemap_index.xml — and submit that one instead. Not sure how sitemaps should be built in the first place? Our guide on xml sitemap best practices clears it up.
Compression or Encoding Errors
Google struggled with how your sitemap file was packed or saved.
A damaged .gz (zipped) file or the wrong character encoding.
Regenerate the sitemap with your plugin or builder. This creates a fresh, clean file and usually solves it in one step.
Too Many URLs (Over the Limit)
Your sitemap has more than 50,000 URLs or is larger than 50MB.
Big blogs and online stores grow past the limit without noticing.
Split your content into smaller sitemaps and use a sitemap index file — a sitemap that lists other sitemaps. Good SEO plugins do this automatically.
Whole-sitemap errors stop Google from reading anything. Most are fixed by correcting the URL, unblocking robots.txt, or regenerating the file.
Single-URL Errors
These errors don't break your whole sitemap. Instead, they flag specific pages you listed that Google couldn't handle properly.
URL Blocked by Robots.txt
You listed a page in your sitemap, but your robots.txt tells Google not to crawl it.
Two files giving opposite instructions.
Decide what you actually want. If the page matters, remove the block from robots.txt. If it doesn't, remove the page from your sitemap.
Submitted URL Marked "Noindex"
You listed a page, but that page has a noindex tag telling Google to skip it.
Again, two opposite signals at once.
If you want the page in Google, remove the noindex tag. If you don't, take the page out of your sitemap. Never keep both.
Submitted URL Is a Soft 404
The page loads, but it looks empty or "not found" to Google.
Thin pages, empty category pages, or pages that say "no results found."
Add real, useful content to the page. If the page serves no purpose, remove it from your sitemap and let it 404 properly.
Submitted URL Returns 404
The page in your sitemap doesn't exist anymore.
You deleted a page but your sitemap still lists it.
Remove the dead URL from your sitemap. If the page moved, point it to the new address instead.
Submitted URL Has a Redirect
The page in your sitemap sends visitors to a different page.
You changed a URL but kept the old one in the sitemap.
List only the final destination URL, not the old redirected one. Clean, direct URLs matter here — our guide to seo-friendly URLs explains why.
Single-URL errors usually come from listing pages you shouldn't. Fix the page or remove it from the sitemap — but never send Google mixed signals.
The Submitted vs Indexed Gap
Here's a number that worries a lot of people. Search Console shows how many pages you submitted versus how many are actually indexed. When these don't match, panic sets in.
A small gap is completely normal.
Say you submitted 50 pages but only 35 are indexed. Those missing 15 pages are usually held back for simple reasons.
Thin or Low-Value Pages
Pages seen as thin or low value may not make it into the index.
Noindex by Mistake
Pages set to noindex by mistake can prevent Google from adding them to search.
Duplicate Versions
Duplicate pages pointing to another version may be left out of the index.
Not Crawled Yet
Google may have found the pages but simply hasn't crawled them yet.
A big gap is worth investigating. Watching these numbers over time is a smart habit — and it's exactly the kind of monitoring we set up through tracking and analytics.
Platform-Specific Fixes
The same error can have slightly different fixes depending on your platform. Here's a quick guide.
Fix Sitemap Problems
Most WordPress sitemap problems come from SEO plugins. To fix them:
- Regenerate the sitemap from your plugin settings.
- Check which content types are set to noindex, so they don't clash with your sitemap.
- Clear your cache after any change, since old cached files often cause "ghost" errors.
Fix Automatically Generated Sitemaps
Shopify builds your sitemap automatically, so you can't edit it directly. To fix issues:
- Remove or fix broken products and collections.
- Make sure hidden or draft products aren't causing 404 or soft 404 flags.
Focus on Your Content
These builders also handle sitemaps for you. Your main job is content:
- Delete or fix empty pages that trigger soft 404s.
- Make sure the pages you want indexed are actually set to public.
Check the Code
If a developer built your site, sitemap errors usually need a code check:
- Ask them to verify the XML formatting and namespace.
- Set up automatic sitemap generation so it updates on its own.
For deeper, site-wide fixes across any platform, our technical SEO services can handle it for you.
After the Fix
How to Re-Submit Your Sitemap
Once you've fixed an error, you need to tell Google to look again. It's quick:
Check the Sitemap
Open your sitemap URL in a browser to confirm it now loads correctly.
Open Search Console
Log in to Google Search Console and open the Sitemaps report.
Re-Submit the Sitemap
Click your sitemap and hit resubmit, or remove and re-add it.
Check the Status
Wait a day or two, then check the status again.
For a full refresher on submitting the right way, see our guide on how to submit a sitemap to Google .
Common Mistakes That Cause Sitemap Errors
Most sitemap errors trace back to a handful of habits. Avoid these:
Listing noindex or blocked pages. You're giving Google two opposite orders.
Keeping dead or redirected URLs. These waste crawl budget and look messy.
Submitting the wrong file. An HTML page is not an XML sitemap.
Ignoring the file size limit. Split large sites with a sitemap index.
Setting it and forgetting it. Sites change, so check your sitemap every few weeks.
FAQs and Key Takeaways
Frequently Asked Questions
How long until sitemap errors clear?
Once you fix the cause and resubmit, errors usually clear within a few days. Google needs time to recrawl your sitemap, so don't expect an instant green tick.
Do sitemap errors hurt my rankings?
Not directly. Errors don't lower your rankings by themselves. But if an error stops Google from finding your pages, those pages can't rank at all — so it's worth fixing quickly.
Can I ignore some errors?
Some warnings are minor, like a single old URL. But whole-sitemap errors and repeated single-URL errors should never be ignored, because they block real pages.
Why does the same error keep coming back?
Usually because the root cause is still there. If a plugin keeps adding a noindex page to your sitemap, fixing it once won't help. Sort out the underlying setting or conflict — not just the symptom.
Key Takeaways
A sitemap error is about the file or a listed URL. An indexing issue is Google choosing not to rank a page. They're different.
Whole-sitemap errors stop everything — fix the URL, robots.txt, or file format first.
Single-URL errors come from listing pages you shouldn't. Fix the page or remove it.
A small submitted vs indexed gap is normal. A big one needs a closer look.
After every fix, resubmit your sitemap and check back in a few days.
A clean sitemap is one of the easiest wins in SEO. Fix your errors, keep the file tidy, and Google will spend its time on the pages that actually grow your business. For a wider check-up, our technical SEO audit checklist is a great next read.
Still seeing errors you can't crack?
We offer a free technical SEO audit that checks your sitemap, indexing, and crawlability — then shows you exactly what to fix first. No pressure, just clear next steps.
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